Strategic Plan 2006-2010

Our aspiration
We aspire to be the leading Faculty in the Asia Pacific region that broadly addresses the creation of sustainable designed environments to enhance the collective human experience.

Our faculty will develop research and deliver programs which foster critical and creative thinking, preparing graduates to be ethical and effective change agents in a local, national and global context. This will be achieved through a community of research active staff and the provision of excellence in teaching, both in underlying theoretical concepts as well as application through design and supported through collaboration across disciplines within the University.

There are a number of strategic goals we must achieve in order to meet our aspiration:

1 Research and Innovation
Strategic Goal: To place research at the centre of our scholarly activities

• Identify core areas of research excellence including a focus on the Asia Pacific region, emphasising interdisciplinarity.
• Broad staff participation in research related to national research priorities leading to increased income from competitive grants, industry and international linkages and commercialisation.
• Improve communication of research activities within the Faculty to increase opportunities for collaboration across disciplines, developing distinctive capabilities that improve the research profile of the Faculty.

2 Learning and Teaching
Strategic Goal: To develop and articulate research led teaching to engage students in knowledge discovery.

• Align program curricula and units of study with research goals and strengths.
• Support inter-disciplinary learning and the scholarship of teaching.
• Provide a flexible learning environment, including e-learning.
• Integrate culturally diverse approaches in research -led teaching.

3 Effective Management
Strategic Goal: To provide management support to the Faculty in a responsible and transparent manner

• Focus infrastructure, management and financial support to achieving Faculty goals.
• Include general staff in management and decision making.
• Develop and implement a policy and strategy for succession planning.
• Apply principles of sustainable environments to all aspects of our own context.

4 Community, Professional and Industry Engagement
Strategic Goal: To communicate and demonstrate our value to the communities in which we engage

• Enhance relationships with indigenous students and communities.
• Contribute to the understanding and development of the designed environments in Sydney, the nation and the region.
• Engage with professional communities through teaching, research and participation, providing opportunities for life long learning.
• Help to define the professions and lead accreditation processes.